For A Villain to Love
by Heart4Wolves
Summary: Berry decided that he had been hurt enough, so when his Aunt and Uncle adopted him he changed his name and himself. He became Sebastian Smythe, a self-centered prepschool playboy. But one day he finds himself saving a teen from a mugger: Something that Sebastian would never do. He runs into the same teen later and finds that for some reason he can't act like Sebastian around Cisco.
1. My name is Barry Allen Sort of

**Cross-posted on Ao3**

* * *

To understand what I'm about to tell you, you have to do something first: You need to believe that people may change many things about themselves but they can never really change who they are at heart.

Can you do that?

Good.

See that guy walking on the sidewalk? That's me.

Why am I walking alone down a deserted street at eleven thirty at night? Because I was just at a bar and decided I needed to cool off a bit.

( _Yes, I'm in high school. I didn't make many good life choices back then._ )

My name is Barry Allen.

( _Well, kind of. We'll get to that later._ )

My story starts out simple: My whole life I've been running. Mostly from bullies. Sometimes I escaped; sometimes I did not. Usually it was because I wouldn't let them mess with the other kids. I told my mother once that I wasn't fast enough, but she told me that it was better to have a good heart than fast legs. ( _I wish I had followed that advice._ )

I had a good life. A normal life.

But after that night I was running from something else entirely.

My mother died.

She was killed by a man inside lightning. I was there; I saw him. But no one believed me. They thought my father did it. He was arrested and sentenced to life in Iron Heights prison. I stayed with Detective Joe West and his daughter Iris, and for a while that was okay even if I didn't like it much. The bullying got worse though. I was the kid with the dad who was in prison for murder, and that didn't make anyone want to hang out with me. Even the kids I used to help stayed well away. The only one who didn't avoid me was Iris.

Then about two months after it happened I ended up in the hospital because the bullies went too far. Joe decided it wasn't safe for me at that school anymore. That was when my uncle Daniel and aunt Taylor offered to adopt me.

I didn't want to go; my dad was here and even though he wasn't with me I could still see him every week. But they decided it would be better for me to get away from Central City for a while. My dad agreed.

So that's how I ended up living with my aunt and uncle.

In Paris.

Did I mention that my uncle owns Smythe Industries an international multi-million dollar company?

No?

He does.

Anyway, when I moved I had to get all new papers so I asked, that since I was getting a new last name, if I could change my first name too. ( _Told you we'd get to it._ )

I wanted to be called Sebastian.

It's what my mother wanted to name me.

Sebastian Smythe.

I thought it had a nice ring to it.

When I moved to Paris I had a new name; a new start. So I decided that I wasn't going to let anyone hurt me anymore. I made a few friends but not many, I didn't let just anyone get close to me anymore. I was more careful. Guarded. I learned to speak French fluently, joined the school choir, and picked up lacrosse (which I was surprisingly good at considering my less than amazing gym scores at my previous school).

I also learned how to use my words, both as defense and to attack, so that no one messed with me.

I earned a reputation.

And then we moved again.

To _Ohio_.

From _Paris_.

Talk about culture shock.

My parents ( _at this point I had gotten used to calling them that_ ) signed me up to go to Dalton Academy, where I quickly regained my reputation as someone not to mess with.

So that's where this story starts.

With me walking down a deserted street at half to midnight on a Friday, not knowing that I was heading straight towards an encounter that would change my life forever.


	2. Instinct

**Cross-posted to Ao3**

* * *

Sebastian was _not_ having a good day.

Heck, he wasn't having a good _week_.

First one of his best Lacrosse players ended up with a broken leg because of some _stupid_ trick he tried on his bike; meaning that Sebastian had to _completely_ re-work the lineup.

Next, the Warblers decided that, as lead singer, of course _he_ should be the one to contact the people to set up their performances. After all, " _That's what Blaine did._ "

Then, his parents forgot to tell him that they were having guests over, meaning that he had to get cleaned up and socialize when he was _going_ to be studying for a history test.

Which lead to an all-nighter.

Followed by a long and _grueling_ Lacrosse practice the next day to get ready for the game that Saturday.

Which ended up getting rained out.

So it's really not that surprising he ended up in a bar.

He had picked this one especially because he knew he wouldn't run into anyone he knew. It wasn't in the best part of town but he wasn't that worried; he only had enough money on him for a few drinks and the bus home. Plus, he had found that if you looked and acted like you could take somebody in a fight usually people would just leave you be.

He was just beginning to feel the effects of the alcohol in his system when a group of college-age guys came in making a ton of noise. Sebastian sighed and rubbed his face with both hands, he was _so_ not in the mood for that. Finishing his drink he stood up and made his way outside, intending to wait until the group had calmed down a bit then go back.

That plan was completely forgotten when he looked down the street and saw a guy being dragged into an alleyway by someone about twice his size.

His rational mind told him to call the police and not get involved, but he had left his phone at home and he had had just enough alcohol to be relying on instinct more than logic. And instinct was telling him that he needed to _help_.

He mentally thanked his uncle for getting him into Lacrosse, which made the two-block sprint a simple matter. When he rounded the corner the big guy had the teenager trapped, back to the brick wall, and was holding a knife out threateningly.

He didn't think: He kept running and used his momentum to slam into the guy from the side and knock him away from the shocked teenager. Unfortunately, the guy didn't go far and recovered quickly, spinning around striking out with the knife.

Sebastian jerked back, but not quite quickly enough as the blade caught left his forearm, cutting through the fabric of his shirt and drawing blood. He ignored the sting and aimed a punch to just below the guy's ribs. It had the desired effect and the guy doubled over, dropping the knife.

Not wanting to waste the opportunity, Sebastian spun around and grabbed the frozen teen by his arm, dragged him out of the alley, and started running the opposite way he had come. It took a few seconds, but soon enough the shorter teen caught on and started running too.

They didn't stop until they were over four blocks away. When they finally slowed to a stop the shorter teen bent over, hands on his knees, and gasped for air. Sebastian leaned against a building and did the same. They stayed like that for a few minutes, both just catching their breath, before Sebastian looked over at the other teen.

He was Latino, he could tell that much, though his long brown hair hid his face from view. He was wearing a brown button-up shirt that was open to reveal a Star Wars t-shirt, lose jeans, and a pair of brown Vans. "Are you ok?"

" _Me?_ You're the one who's bleeding." The teen straitened up and Sebastian silently took in the bright brown eyes and boyish features. "You should go to the hospital." He continued, looking at the taller teen's arm in concern.

Sebastian followed his gaze and lifted his injured arm to inspect it. He slowly peeled away the fabric to get a better look at the cut that was still bleeding slowly: It was about two inches long but relatively shallow. He should probably go get stitches but he could survive with just cleaning and bandaging it well and, after the week he had, he didn't feel like explaining a hospital bill to his uncle. "I'll be fine."

The shorter teen looked unsure but seeing that Sebastian wasn't going to change his mind, didn't argue and just looked around. "Even if you're not going to the hospital you should still get it treated quickly. My house is just a few blocks from here." He looked at the Warbler, expression sincere. "It's the least I could do."

"… All right." Sebastian replied after a moment and followed when the other teen started off down the street.

They walked for a while, both quiet and neither really minding it. The shape of the buildings slowly changed as they walked, turning into something more residential. They switched streets twice before the other teen suddenly turned and walked down the driveway to a quaint little one-story house. When they approached the door he pulled out a set of keys and unlocked it quietly, holding it open for Sebastian. "My parents are probably asleep so we need to be quiet." He whispered. "I'd rather not explain why I'm bringing a random injured guy into the house in the middle of the night." Sebastian couldn't contain his amusement and let out a low huff of laughter which caused the other teen to grin brightly. "Come on, the kitchen's this way." He led the way through the living room into a smallish kitchen and gestured towards the sink. "Why don't you try and clean it up a bit? I'll get the first aid kit." He went out of the room through another door, leaving the lead Warbler on his own to make his way to the sink and turn on the water. He slowly peeled the fabric of his shirt away from the wound and hissed softly when he put his arm under the water. He held it there and rubbed gently, trying to remove the dried blood that surrounded the cut. After a few moments he pulled it away, turned the water off, and grabbed a paper towel to dry it. That was when the other teen returned carrying a large box, which he quietly set on the counter and opened to reveal an excessive amount of medical supplies. He rummaged around for a moment before turning around holding a bottle that caused Sebastian to wince.  
"Yeah," The teen whispered with an apologetic expression. "This is gonna suck. But, you know," He shrugged.

Sebastian steeled himself as the teen walked over to stand next to him and took hold of his wrist, holding his arm out over the sink before slowly pouring the hydrogen peroxide over the injury. Sebastian grit his teeth to keep from making a sound, his hands clenched tightly, as the liquid started to bubble and hiss. After a few moments the reaction slowed and the other teen put down the bottle and grabbed another paper towel to clean it off. Sebastian relaxed again and let out a soft breath of relief. He started to pull his arm back but the other teen didn't release the hold on his wrist, instead using it to lead the Warbler over to sit on a chair near the table. He let go briefly to grab some bandages from the box and bring them over to set on the table, then grabbed another chair and pulled it over. He then reached for Sebastian's arm again but the taller teen held it gingerly against his chest. "I can do it."

The other teen frowned and tilted his head, long hair brushing against his shoulder. "Yeah but you don't have to." He leaned forward slightly and gestured for the arm. "Come on, you got cut saving me from a mugger. At least let me wrap it up."

Sebastian paused for a moment, considering, before holding his arm out. The other teen grabbed it loosely just below the elbow, resting it along his own arm, and turned to grab the gauze. Sebastian watched quietly as he carefully covered the wound before grabbing one of the bandages and wrapping it gently over and around his arm again and again, shifting his grip every now and again to allow himself room to work.

"You're good with your hands." Sebastian said suddenly, startling them both.

He hadn't meant to say anything.

The other teen had paused and looked up at him for a moment before ducking his head and continuing. "Well that's good since I want to be an engineer. It's kinda part of the job."

Well that was interesting. "Engineer?"

"Yeah, and maybe a bit of robotics on the side." He tiled his head and looked up again with a bashful smile. "I wanna build things to help people."

Sebastian couldn't help but return the smile. "That's admirable." He cleared his throat softly. "So what was a nice guy like you doing out so late?"

The Latino finished wrapping his arm and let go to lean back in the seat and shifted self-consciously. "I-ah, I had a job interview. It went late and I missed the bus back. Decided I didn't want to wait for the next one."

The taller teen's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Seriously? That's not a good part of town."

The teen frowned and crossed his arms with a huff. "Well I know that _now_."

Sebastian grinned and let out a chuckle at his attitude.

"So what were you doing there?" The teen asked with a curious look. "Or do you just go around looking for people to rescue?"

That caused the Warbler to snort. _Yeah right_. He thought. _That'll never happen_. "No, I was at a bar."

The Latino looked genuinely surprised at that. "Really? You look like you're still in high-school."

"So?" Sebastian replied, grin shifting into a smirk.

"Wait, are you in high-school?" He asked incredulously.

Sebastian really couldn't help the smug tone that entered his voice when he replied. "Dalton Academy."

" _Seriously_?" The teen asked with no small amount of awe. "Dude, how do you get away with that?"

"It's actually pathetically easy." He answered with a roll of his eyes. "The bars around here are _awful_ about checking minors. All you need is a fake ID. Doesn't even have to be a good one." Sebastian's smile suddenly turned charming. "Remind me and I'll take you out to get a drink sometime."

Surprised, the teen opened and closed his mouth a few times at the sudden shift in tone before clearing his throat and blushing. "Uh, yeah. I'll ah- I'll have to do that."

Sebastian's smile brightened. "Good."

A slightly awkward silence fell for a few moments before the Warbler stood and cleared his throat. "Well, thanks for the help." He lifted his arm to indicate what he was talking about.

The other teen nodded and stood quickly as well. "Yeah, no- of course! Thank _you_ for making sure I didn't end up skewered."

Sebastian just nodded. "So, I'll see you around?"

The Latino returned the gesture. "Yeah. Yeah, definitely."

Sebastian smiled lightly then headed for the door. That was weird; he wasn't usually this awkward.

He decided to blame it on the adrenaline and alcohol.

It wasn't until he was half-way home that Sebastian realized that he hadn't gotten the other teen's number.

He didn't even know his _name_.

What was _wrong_ with him?

* * *

 **And so it begins... *evil laughter***

 **Yay! First impressions! What do you guys think?**

 **Never say never Seb. Destiny likes screwing with people.**

 **Comments make writer happy. :)**


	3. Coffee and Oregano

**Updates will be slow as I'm currently in the process of moving _and_ getting ready for school. That said, I have the entire plot done and just need to write filler (which is often the most time-consuming seeing as I'm a perfectionist).**

 **So as all us youngins are going back to school have some more of these dorks.**

* * *

 _What_ _was_ wrong _with_ _him_?

That was the thought that had been rolling around in Cisco's head all week.

Ever since that- that...

Incident?

Encounter?

Irrationally intense meeting?

He didn't know what to call it. He just knew it was weird and different and _exhilarating_ in a really strange way. And not just the whole a-random-guy-saved-me-from-possibly-getting-stabbed-then-we-both-ran-for-our-lives thing ether. Yeah, that was part of it, but the bit after that; with the quiet walk and less-than-professional first-aid, that had a weirdly charged feeling too.

It had left him seriously off-kilter, so much that even his _Mom_ had noticed (and she hadn't noticed that one time he had came home with a limp, so that was saying something).

Part of it was probably the unexpected complements and what he was _pretty_ _sure_ was flirting.

(Not completely sure though because, while not unattractive, Cisco was by no means what most people considered hot. And that guy? At _least_ an eight, even in the dark. Definitely not someone he expected to flirt with him, then again he didn't really expect _anyone_ to flirt with him. Plus, it was rural Ohio. Not exactly a place where guys flirting with other guys was normal.)

That aside, the whole thing was surreal in a way that could only be partially attributed to the time of night when it happened.

It was all of that weirdness together that had messed with him enough let the hot guy who had practically saved his life, maybe flirted with him, and possibly _asked_ _him_ _out_ leave without even getting his _**name**_.

Which brought him back to his original question: _What_ _was_ wrong _with_ _him?_

He was shaken out of his repetitive thoughts by his mother calling for him from the kitchen.

" _Yeah_?" He yelled back, wiping the grease off his hands with the rag that had been sitting on his desk.

"Could you go pick up some tortillas, rice, and oregano from the market?"

Well, there went his morning of work on his project.

With a resigned sigh he stood up and made his way out of his room. "Sure Mama, just let me get cleaned up."

Oh well. Maybe some fresh air would help clear his head.

* * *

Sebastian had a full day in front of him.

His whole week had pretty much been one thing right after another, and he had used almost all of the free time he did have trying to find the teen he had inadvertently rescued. With disappointingly little success.

Today he had an "unofficial" Warbler meeting and needed to run a few errands for his parents which was followed by a make-up lacrosse game, meaning that he didn't have time for much else.

He did, however, make time for a small detour.

Amoureux Café was a homey little coffee shop about fifteen minutes from his house that had hardwood floors, over-stuffed armchairs, and a wood-burning fireplace in the corner. It was also almost always empty after the morning rush, save the owner and maybe one or two customers.

It was kind of out of his way but it was one of the only places within several hour's drive that Sebastian had found would put Courvoisier in his coffee. The owner, Lovell Moreau, was an older French gentleman who had moved to the U.S. to be with his wife, and so understood his fondness for it.

The first time he had been in the little shop Mr. Moreau had been behind the counter and the teen had recognized the thick accent in his words. Seeing that there weren't any other customers, he had inquired in French what part of Paris the older man was from. Mr. Moreau had been surprised at his comfort with the language and had explained that he had owned a similar shop in southern Paris, before returning the question. They talked for a while; Sebastian told him a bit about his time in France and in return Moreau told him about how he had met his wife Tracy when she had visited his café while she was in college studying abroad. He told the teen how they had continued to grow closer through her years in college and had gotten married right after her graduation.

The older gentleman was thrilled to find someone besides his wife that he could speak to in his mother tongue, and would strike up a conversation whenever the Warbler had the time. Sebastian for his part really enjoyed talking with Mr. Moreau; he always seemed to have a story to tell and it reminded Sebastian fondly of his time in his adopted country. He would often spend weeknights in the small café talking with the older gentleman over coffee and an assortment of both American and French pastries, including chocolate éclairs (his favorite).

Unfortunately he didn't have time to talk today; his schedule was packed and he only had time to run in and grab his daily caffeine fix. He explained as much to Mr. Moreau as the older man prepared his coffee.

"Je suis vraiment désolé." Sebastian apologized, but Mr. Moreau just waved a hand.

"Ça fait rien. Besides," Mr. Moreau said with a smile, switching to heavily accented English as he handed over the order. "I know how busy young people can be. I hope your day goes well."

"Thank you." Sebastian replied with a genuine smile. "You too. Tell Tracy I said hi."

The older man continued to smile and made a shooing gesture. "Of course, now go. Don't want to be late."

Sebastian chuckled and did as instructed, leaving the shop and heading towards where he had parked.

Only to have someone crash into his chest, almost causing him to drop his coffee.

Well, there went his good mood.

After regaining his balance he glared at the person, biting remark on the tip of his tongue, only for them to look up… And he was suddenly unable to remember what he was going to say.

" _No_ _way_." The other teen breathed out, mouth open in an expression of shock that perfectly matched the one on Sebastian's own face. "It's _you_. You're the guy who saved me from that mugger last week! Dude, I've been looking for you everywhere!"

By the end of his excited exclamation there was a big grin on the teen's face, and in the back of his mind Sebastian dimly noted the way his eyes lit up when he smiled. After a moment though, the grin disappeared as the teen seemed to realize what he had said and started backtracking. "I mean, not really _looking_. Just, you know, keeping an eye out. 'Cause you said you'd take me out for a drink. Not-not _take_ _me_ _out_ take me out! Just like a friendly thing you know? Or not? I mean-" He suddenly cut himself off and covered his eyes with one hand, head ducking in embarrassment. "Please stop me."

Sebastian had to cover his mouth with his free hand to stop himself from laughing.

Not to be mean, it was just, he used to do the exact same thing. He still did if he got flustered enough. Iris had tried to explain to him once that she thought the babbling was cute, but he had never really understood where she was coming from.

Until now.

He struggled to get his grin under control and cleared his throat to cover his laughter.

"That's fine. I've ah, I've been "keeping an eye out" for you too."

The teen pulled his hand slightly away from his face and looked up at him skeptically.

"... Seriously?"

Sebastian nodded and fought the urge to shift, suddenly nervous. Instead he brought his coffee in front of him and held it with both hands.

"Yeah. I did offer to take you out for a drink." He smiled charmingly, trying to hide his nerves under the cool façade he had worked so hard to perfect. "But I didn't get your number. Or name for that matter."

The teen's eyes widened slightly. "Oh! Right!" He held out a hand and all at once the bright grin was back on his face. "I'm Cisco. Cisco Ramon."

Sebastian's smile widened slightly as he reached out to shake Cisco's hand. "Sebastian Smythe."

"Sebastian?" Cisco asked with a light frown, speaking the name as if he was testing it out. "That's… Not what I expected. Then again I'm one to talk." He finished with another grin.

Man that smile was infectious…

It took him a few seconds to realize that he was still holding Cisco's hand.

He pulled away quickly and Cisco did the same, a light blush staining both their faces.

"Right." Sebastian said, embarrassed. "I ah, I actually have somewhere to be?"

Cisco's eyes widened. "Oh! Of course! Sorry! I really shouldn't have kept you. I know I talk too much-"

" _No!_ " Sebastian quickly cut him off. "No, It's fine! I enjoy talking to you, I just don't have time right now. So if I could get your number we could get together later?" He asked quickly, pulling out his phone and holding it out.

The shorter teen hesitated for a moment, searching his face, before taking the device and adding himself in the contacts and handing it back.

Sebastian smiled as he put the phone back in his pocket. "I'll send you a text later so you can have my number."

"Okay, yeah." Cisco nodded with a smile, though it wasn't as bright as the one before and Sebastian found himself strangely disappointed.

"Okay." He nodded as well. "So, I'll see you later."

"Right." Cisco gave one last smile and a wave before continuing the way he had been going.

Sebastian waved too and watched the smaller teen for a few moments before heading for his car.

As he turned the ignition the Warbler couldn't keep a smile off of his face.

* * *

 **So the idiots know each others' names.**

 **(kinda)**

 **THAT INTERACTION WAS NOT MEANT TO BE THAT AWKWARD. I was writing _normal_ dialogue and it just became a stuttering blushy mess. **

**These two are going to be the death of me I swear...**

 _Je suis vraiment désolé_ **means "I am so sorry" or "I am very sorry"**

 _Ça fait rien_ _._ **In this situation roughly translates to "it is nothing" or "it means nothing." He's basically saying "it's fine"**

 **Also** _amoureux_ **means "sweetheart" or "lover"**

 **(I do not know French so if this is wrong please tell me.)**  
 **(Also the Amoureux Cafe in this story is completely made up and if there are any similarities to anything in real life it's totally unintentional.)**

 **Comments make the writer happy.**


	4. Texting is Awkward

With all that he had to do that day it ended up being around nine-thirty by the time Sebastian was free enough to text Cisco without fear of being pulled away from his phone.

Flopping down on his bed, hair still wet from the shower, he opened his phone and thought for a moment before typing out a simple:

(Sebastian): Hey! Its Sebastian

* * *

Cisco had been silently arguing with himself since his run in with that guy from the alley hours ago.

Sebastian, he reminded himself, smiling.

Sebastian.

On one hand, he was excited: Sebastian had remembered him! And gotten his number!

The other part of him told him not to get his hopes up. Of course Sebastian would remember him, it wasn't every day you save some random guy from a mugger. Things like that tend to stick in your memory. He was probably just being nice.

And was most likely straight.

But then why would he ask for Cisco's number?

Ugh.

He needed something to get his mind off all this. There was some English homework he needed to get done…

Ha, right. Like that would work.

Cisco flopped back on his bed and groaned into his pillow. It was hopeless. He was doomed to a night of pacing and arguing with himself, waiting in vain for a text that probably wasn't even coming…

Just then his phone chimed from his desk and he almost hit the floor in his haste to get it.

He flipped it open, almost not daring to hope.

It was a text from a number he didn't recognize.

(419-***-****): Hey ! It's Sebastian

Cisco's mind stalled.

He texted him.

Sebastian actually texted him oh my g-

Before Cisco could get to far into his freak-out another message popped up.

(419-***-****): Sorry about the wait, this is the first time I've been free all day

Sudden guilt flooded through his system, after all Sebastian said he would reply, and he quickly answered.

(Cisco): No that's fine! I've just been doing homework

Cisco winced as soon as he hit send. Great, why don't you tell him about how you have no social life while you're at it…

(419-***-****): Ha, yeah. I've got to do that tomorrow

(419-***-****): Been putting it off

(419-***-****): Why is it so much more fun to learn things when you don't have to?

Huh.

(Cisco): I know what you mean

(Cisco): I taught myself algebra two years early because I was curious

(419-***-****): Wow, that's impressive

Cisco blushed.

(Cisco): Thanks

(419-***-****): I read a ton but always end up putting off anything required

(419-***-****): Ah school

Agreed.

(419-***-****): So, are you free anytime soon? I promise I'm much more interesting in person

Cisco found himself blushing again. Understatement, he thought as he looked at his calendar and picked a random day.

(Cisco): I'm pretty sure I'm free Wednesday night?

(419-***-****): Sweet. We could meet at that Café where we ran into each other

(419-***-****): Say around 6?

He was pretty sure he wasn't breathing.

(Cisco): Sure. That'd be fine

(419-***-****): Cool! See you then

For a while Cisco just sat there staring at his phone.

There's no way that went as well as it seemed to.

But they were meeting up in a few days. In person.

Just makes it easier to screw up. Whispered a voice in the back of his mind, but for once Cisco ignored it.

That was easy.

He had thought it would take a lot more effort than that but it just kind of happened. Like the conversation they had while he was bandaging Sebastian's arm, even the silence wasn't that awkward.

This could work out okay. He thought distantly.

At the very least it seemed like they could be friends.

Cisco grinned and went to get ready for bed.

Only to quickly run back to his phone and save Sebastian's number.

* * *

 **I'M AWFUL OMG. THIS CHAPTER HAS BEEN ON AO3 FOR A FEW MONTHS AND I TOTALLY FORGOT TO POST IT HERE. I AM SO SORRY GUYS!**


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